?Really Shouldn?t Be Buying?.?: Barack Obama Condemned Michael Jordan?s Business Worth Billions in 2008

The Air Jordans took Michael Jordan and Nike to a new level of greatness. Nike clinched a business-transforming opportunity by signing Jordan during his rookie year in 1984. Soon, Michael Jordan’s consistency and competitiveness made him a household name across the world. The Chicago Bulls legend’s popularity gave Nike a chance to launch MJ’s own line of shoes. Nike launched the first edition of Air Jordans in 1985 at $65 per pair. Surprisingly, the Air Jordans are still considered to be the holy grail of sneaker shoes.

However, with the rise in popularity of the Air Jordans, Nike also raised prices significantly over the years. Back in 2008, former POTUS Barack Obama condemned Michael Jordan’s billions worth Air Jordan business because of the shoes’ heavy prices.

Michael Jordan has served as an inspiration for kids from many generations. His fierceness on the field made him one of the most followed sports icons in the 1990s. Nike used Jordan’s popularity and effective marketing to create a huge demand for Air Jordans among various age groups. However, not everyone could afford to own a pair of Jordans as their prices escalated to unbelievable heights over the years.

Obama criticized the high price of Michael Jordan shoes

Sportscenter aired a feature on the history of Air Jordans before the release of the Air Jordan XX3 in 2008. The feature gave a deeper dive into how Air Jordans became a must-have on the playground while becoming a signature of elitism in the urban fashion world. Critics took a dig at Nike as the price of Air Jordans crossed the 3 figure mark as their popularity increased.

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The massive prices of the Air Jordans put them out of the reach of kids from lower-income backgrounds. The special episode also featured former president Barack Obama who condemned the excessive price of the Air Jordans. He claimed that kids should put that money to better use instead of buying overpriced sneakers. Obama said, “We’ve got a lot of young kids in the south side and west sides of Chicago who really shouldn’t be buying $150 sneakers because they should be spending a little bit of that money on books.”

Moreover, the popularity of Michael Jordan’s shoes also led to several violent incidents. In one instance, several teens in Maryland and Texas were killed by criminals who wanted their Jordans.

Incidents like these suggested that kids were heavily attracted by the popularity of the Air Jordans. They were willing to spend loads of money to buy them. Obama felt that a share of that money could have been used on education.

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However, despite the negative aspects of the popularity, the Air Jordans have become a signature of class. The Nike shoe line continues to honor Michael Jordan’s legacy to date.